A rocket launch has ripped a hole in the Earth’s ionosphere as it accelerated into space. The rocket, belonging to Firefly Aerospace, was carrying the Space Force Victus Nox satellite into orbit as it launched on September 14, 2024 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California…The ionosphere is a layer of the atmosphere around 50 to 400 miles above, filled with charged atoms (ions). These ions reflect and refract radio signals, making the ionosphere essential to radio communications, which is why radio blackouts occur during solar flares, as the ionosphere is disrupted.

Rockets release exhaust as they ascend, mostly containing water and carbon dioxide, which reacts with the ions in the ionosphere. If the chemistry of the upper atmosphere is disturbed, such as when a rocket flies through it, the carbon dioxide and water molecules from the rocket exhaust change the chemical balance in the atmosphere. This temporarily makes it much easier for the ionization to recombine into neutral atoms, weakening the ionosphere and causing the red glow to be seen…This can lead to a 70 percent drop in ionization in the area that the rocket passes through, particularly in the F-layer at the top of the ionosphere. The red glow in particular comes from oxygen ions, which also glow during the northern and southern lights.

Several recent rocket launches have resulted in a similar phenomenon, including two SpaceX rockets in July and August 2024. The consequences of these holes in the ionosphere are disruptions to radio communication and satellite navigation systems.

The ionosphere absorbs ultraviolet and X-rays from the sun, which is what ionizes the gas atoms in the layer. This prevents these harmful rays from reaching the ground. The holes made by rocket launches do not affect the ionosphere’s ability to filter out this radiation. “While the number of rocket launches is increasing dramatically in recent years, this still constitutes a small amount of gas in comparison with the volume of the upper atmosphere. But if the rate at which rocket exhausts transport water to the upper atmosphere exceeds the rate at which it is removed then the cumulative effect will be a weaker ionosphere.”

Excerpts from Jess Thomson, Rocket Carrying Space Force Satellite Punches Hole In Ionosphere, Newsweek, Sept. 22, 2024